OAH Issues Statement Regarding Steven Salaita

OAH Issues Statement Regarding Steven Salaita
The OAH Executive Committee was authorized to prepare a statement addressing Steven Salaita's termination at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After preparation of the statement, the OAH Executive Board approved sending the statement to the Chancellor at the University of Illinois and representatives at the American Association of University Professors.

Statement from the OAH Executive Board, November 2, 2014
The OAH Executive Board strongly endorses the American Historical Association's August 31, 2014, statement on the Salaita appointment, a copy of which is enclosed. We concur with the AHA's declaration that "'civility is a laudable ideal, and many of us wish that American public life had more of it today." But we also affirm the AHA's recognition that "The First Amendment protects speech, both civil and uncivil." Thus the OAH joins the AHA in its support of academic freedom.
The OAH Executive Board believes that the actions taken in Professor Salaita's case threaten standards of academic expression and send a chilling message to faculty, staff, and students whose personal and professional views may be controversial.
To read the American Historical Association's letter to the Chancellor at the University of Illinois, click here.